Heat exchange device



Oct. 17, 1967l B. R. MEAD ETAL 3,347,422

HEAT EXCHANGE DEVI CE Filed July 20, 1965 FIGS mmfhmmg FIG. 4

le I/ INVENTDRS .BRUCE R. MEAD LEOPOLD KARL KUHNL ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,347,422 HEAT EXCHANGE DEVICE Bruce R. Mead, Fairfield, and Leopold Karl Kuhnl, Stratford, Conn., assignors to Eversharp, Inc., Milford, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Filed July, 20, 1965, Ser. No. 473,421 1 Claim. (Cl. 222-146) This invention relates to a heat exchange device, and, more particularly -to an improvement in' a heat exchange device especially adapted for -use on a dispenser of flowable substance whereby the temperature of the substance may be changed, as the substance is being dispensed from that temperature at which the substance is contained during storage to either a higher or lower temperature which is more suitable .to the end use of the substance.

The development of aerosol-type containers and dispensers has made it possible to bring to the consumer a considerable variety of both new and old products in new forms having greater utility and convenience. However, the

contained substance is dispensed at substantially the same temperature as that at which the container has been stored even though the subs-tance should be or may more desirably be used or applied at a substantially diiferent temperature. This disparity cannot be eliminated in most cases simply by storing the container at the most desirable temperature-especially not a temperature substantially above ordinary room temperature-because of the unsafe effect on the pressure of the aerosol propellant.

United States patent application, Serial No. 393,566, Heat Exchanger and Method, by Charles R. Weidman, Jan Dawidowicz, and Edward A. Bedall, tiled Sept. 1, 1964, now Patent No. 3,292,823, discloses a heat exchange device especially `adapted for use with an aerosol-type container holding a flowable substance. The heat exchange device described in that application comprises a body of material having substantial thermal capacity and good heat transfer properties, the body being provided with a tortuous conduit therethrough from an inlet connected to a discharge valve of a dispensing container of flowable substance to an outlet for delivering the substance to a utilization site. The external surfaces of the body are exposed. The temperature of a quantity of the subs-tance may be altered during its delivery from the container to a utilization site by flowing over the exposed surfaces of the body a he-atable uid at a tempera-ture different from that of the body and then opening the discharge valve of the container to discharge substance into and through the conduit.

The present invention provides an improvement in such a heat exchange device whereby the eiiciency of the heat transfer process is materially increased. The heat exchange devi-ce of this invention comprises a cup-shaped member dening a cavity therein and being formed of a material having good heat transfer properties; a closure member for said cavity; and a channel member of material having good heat .transfer properties in the cavity and in good thermal contact with the cup-shaped member, the channel member together with the cup-shaped member and closure member forming an elongated conduit. The channel member has at least one projection therefrom of material having good heat transfer properties, the projection completely traversing, or bridging the conduit. Inlet means are provided for introducing a liowable substance into the conduit and outlet means are provided to discharge the ilowable substance from t-he conduit.

In one embodiment of the heat exchange device the channel member comprises a metal strip formed into a spiral and having a plurality of metal projections therefrom, the projections traversing the spiral conduit formed by the channel member, cup-shaped member and closure member.

`that a snug lit is These and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood when the following description is read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. l is an elevation View of an aerosol-type container equipped with a preferred embodiment of the heat exchanger of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the line 2 2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the heat exchanger along line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a partial elevation of the channel member of the heat exchanger expanded on to a plane surface.

The heat exchange device of the present invention is typically used in combination with an aerosol-type container 1l) as shown in FIG. 1. The heat exchange device 11 is `shown attached to the discharge valve 12 of the container and so coupled to the valve 12, that substance from the container may be discharged into the interior of device 11 and thence through an outlet 13. Surrounding the heat exchange device 11 is a cylindrical shroud 14 having at least one aperture therein through which a heatable fluid such as hot water m-ay be introduced. The shroud 14 may |be made of metal or plastic.

In operation, a Huid such as hot water is flowed through an aperture in the shroud 14 and over the surface of the heat exchange device 11, causing the device to absorb heat. The shroud serves to confine the water in intimate contact with the surface of the heat exchange device 11. The discharge valve 12. of the aerosol-type container 10 is then actuated to discharge the substance held by the container into the heat exchange device 11 where the heat absorbed by the ydevice 11 is transferred to the substance so that When the substance emerges from the outlet 13 its temperature has been increased. An example of the application of this device is its use to raise the temperature of aerosol shaving foam With hot water from a bathroom faucet. The device is not limited, however, to raising the temperature of substances; it may also be used to cool substances by flowing cold water, for example, over the surface of the heat exchange device 11.

The construction of the heat exchange device 11 and the improvement thereto of the present invention may be seen in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. device comprises a cup-shaped member 15, a channel member 16, and a closure member 17. The cup-shaped member 15 has a bottom wall and cylindrical side walls and may be fabricated of aluminum or similar material having substantial heat transfer properties. The bottom Wall of the cup-sahped member is formed at its center into a receptacle portion 18 having an aperture 19 therein so as to receive the discharge valve 12 of an aerosol-type or other container. The receptacle portion 18 is so formed made with the discharge valve 12, and discharged through valve 12, and aper- Iheat exchanger along substance may be ture 19 into the interior of the cavity defined by the cupshaped member.

The side Walls of the cup-shaped member 15 are formed at one point into a spout, so as to define in conjunction with the closure member 17 the outlet 13. The closure member 17 is a flat sheet of aluminumor other material which may be crimped on to the cup-shaped member 15 to form a top wall enclosing the cavity within the cup-shaped member 15.

The channel member 16 is a strip of aluminum or other material having good heat transfer properties which is formed into a spiral of such a configuration that one end of the channel member 16 abuts against the receptacle portion 18 formed in the bottom wall of the cupshaped member 15, and the other end abuts against the side Wall of the cup-shaped member 15. With such a conguration the spiral channel member 16 forms with A preferred embodiment of the` the cup-shaped member an elongated spiral conduit leading from'the central receptacle portion 18 and aperture 19 to the outlet 13. The height of the spiral strip channel member is equal to the height of the side Walls of the cupshaped member`15V so that when the channel member 16 is properly positioned Within the cup-shaped member 15 and the closure member 17 is aflixed thereto, any substance discharged through aperture 19 into the interior of the device is conined to travel through the tortuous spiral conduit to the outlet 13.

When a heatable uid is owed over the exposed outer surfaces of the cup-shaped member 15 and closure member 17 heat is transferred to or from the spiral channel member 16 Which is in thermal and physical contact with the other members. As a substance is discharged into the device it comes into intimate -contact With the channel member 16, which together with the other members forms the tortuous elongated conduit. Heat is transferred to or from thek substance by the channel member '16, and by the time the substance has traveled the length of the spiral conduit to the spout 13 its temperature has been altered to the desired degree.

The channel member of the present invention has in addition a plurality of projections 20 therefrom along its length. These projections may be formed by stamping or embossing the metal strip of the'channel member before it is formed into a spiral. The projections 2t) extend from the surface of the spiral channel member into the spiral conduit and traverse the conduit to contact the Wall of the conduit opposite the projections. FIG. 2, 3, and 4 show the projections 20 to be generally cylindrical, running along the middle of the channel member strip. Not all of the projections 20j along the channel member -Will traverse the spiral conduit; those located near either end 21 or 22 of the spiral strip will not extend a sufficient distance to connect opposite sides of the conduit. However, in the medial portion of the channel member a plurality of the projections will traverse the conduit, bringing opposite sides of the* conduit into thermal and physical contact at a plurality of points along the course of the conduit.

As has been explained, when the external surfaces of the -heat exchange device are brought into contact with a heatable fluid heat is transferred to or from the channel member 16. The projections 20 of the present invention materially expedite this process by forming links or thermal short circuits through Which heat may ow between the outer and central regions of the channel member. Thus, as hot Water is owed over the device the heat from the water is passed from the cup-shaped member 15 to the portions of the channel member 16 in contact with the cup-shaped member. Thereafter, instead of being conducted solely along the length of the spiral strip to the central regions of the device, the heat can jump directly to the central region via the thermal paths created by the projections 20. In this manner the central portions of the device are heated much more quickly, uniformly and efciently.

The projections 20 also serve as spacers to insure that the spiral conduit is maintained at a minimum Width and is not totally constricted at any point along its course. Moreover, the projections, WhileV not themselves totally constricting the spiral conduit, act as obstacles to the ow of substance through the conduit and increase the turbulence of this ow. As the turbulence of flow is increased the substance is brought into more eiective and intimate contact with the Walls of the conduit and the entire heat exchange process is facilitated and made more eflicient.

While the projections of the preferred embodiment are shown to be cylindrical and closely spaced along the length of the spiral channel member it will be understood that the present invention is not limited to the use of any particular number of projections of any particular shape. The projections of the embodiment extend from only one side of the spiral channel member strip but it would be equally possible for the projections to extend from both sides of the channel member. The number of projections need not be great; indeed, a single projection in the form of a ridge extending from the channel member along a substantial portion of its length could provide the thermal short circuit path already described. Such projection or projections may be integral with the channel member, as when formed by stamping or embossing, or they may be formed separately from the channel member and affixed thereto by soldering, riveting or other bondingV method which ensures good thermal contact between the projections and channel member.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangement of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a heat exchanger for changing the temperature of a substance dispensed from a pressurized container, the heat exchanger having a channel member positioned and convoluted Within an enclosure member to form together with said enclosure member a spiral conduit, and theenclosure' member having external walls in good thermal contact with an outer portion of said channel member, the improvement which comprises the channel member having a plurality of projections therefrom of material having good heat transfer properties, said projections completely traversing the conduit and contacting an adjacent convolution of said channel member.

References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 1,914,077 6/1933 Cluchey 165-166 X 2,460,861 2/ 1949 Walters 222-146 X 2,736,533 2/ 1956 Allen 222-146 XV 3,241,723 3/1966 Lerner 222-146 3,292,823 12/ 1966 Weidman et al 222-146 ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

F. R. HANDREN, Assistant Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,347,422 October 17, 1967 Bruce R. Mead et al.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column l, lines 63 and 70 and column 4, line 46, for

"traversing", each occurrence, read transversng column 2, line 50, for "CupPsahped" read cup-shaped column 3, lines 29, 34 and 38, for "traverse", each occurrence, read transverse Signed and sealed this 11th day of February 1969.

(SEAL) Attest:

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr. EDWARD J. BRENNER Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

